Trump apologizes for lewd comments on videotape

GOP candidate recorded bragging about kissing, groping women

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump early Saturday issued an unusual videotaped apology after a 2005 recording surfaced that showed him speaking in extraordinarily vulgar terms about women, setting off an uproar in the Republican Party.

"Anyone who knows me knows these words don't reflect who I am," he said. "I said it, I was wrong and I apologize."

The apology came as he faced extraordinary censure from Republican leaders after the tape was made public. It captures Trump speaking about pushing himself on women and boasting that he could get away with "anything" because of his celebrity.

In a three-minute recording, which was obtained by the Washington Post, Trump recounts to television personality Billy Bush of the program "Access Hollywood" how he once pursued a married woman and "moved on her like a bitch, but I couldn't get there," expressing regret that they did not have sex.

He brags of a special status with women: Because he was "a star," he said, he could "grab them by the (crotch)" whenever he wanted. "You can do anything," Trump says.

Trump, in a statement, sought to minimize the lewdness of his remarks - and even implicate Hillary Clinton's husband, Bill, in his behavior.

"This was locker room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago. Bill Clinton has said far worse to me on the golf course - not even close," Trump said in an earlier statement. "I apologize if anyone was offended."

The comments were swiftly condemned by Hillary Clinton's campaign.

"This is horrific. We cannot allow this man to become president," Clinton posted on her campaign's Twitter account.

Leaders of his own party heaped criticism on the presidential nominee, and Speaker Paul Ryan withdrew his invitation to appear alongside Trump this weekend.

Trump's remarks seemed more troubling than boys-will-be-boys banter. He said he was compulsively drawn to kissing beautiful women "like a magnet" - "I don't even wait" - and talked about plotting to seduce the married woman by taking her furniture shopping.

Trump, who was 59 at the time, went on to disparage the woman, whom he did not name, saying, "I did try and ---- her. She was married," and, "She's now got the big phony (breasts) and everything."

Ryan described himself as "sickened" by Trump's remarks.

Giving cover

Sen. Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, went a step further than many elected Republicans, issuing a statement late Friday night calling on Trump to express contrition - and potentially offering other Senate Republicans cover to disavow the nominee if he refuses to apologize.

"As the father of three daughters, I strongly believe that Trump needs to apologize directly to women and girls everywhere, and take full responsibility for the utter lack of respect for women shown in his comments on that tape," said McConnell.

While neither Ryan nor McConnell immediately withdrew his formal support for Trump, Republican leaders in Washington held anguished discussions throughout the evening about how the party should proceed with a badly wounded and potentially toxic nominee. They cannot remove their nominee from the ticket, though some hoped that Trump would decide on his own to step down.

Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, was "beside himself" and his wife was furious, the Associated Press attributed to a person familiar with their thinking. That person spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to share the private discussion.

On his Twitter page Friday, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said the comments from Trump were "disturbing and inappropriate. There is simply no excuse for them. Every wife, mother, daughter - every person - deserves to be treated with dignity and respect."

Jeb Bush, like Cruz a former GOP presidential candidate, also criticized Trump's comments, tweeting, "As the grandfather of two precious girls, I find that no apology can excuse away Donald Trump's reprehensible comments degrading women."

And Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, also on Twitter, said: "There is absolutely no excuse to ever talk about women in such a crude and demeaning way. He was certainly right to apologize. But, we can't let this firestorm distract from the frightening policies revealed today in the WikiLeaks of (Hillary Clinton's) emails, including her 'dream' of 'open trade and open borders' which would spell ruin for the future of our country."

A call to drop out

Trump, seeking to minimize the import of the disclosure despite the public rebuke by Ryan, announced late Friday evening that he would no longer travel to Wisconsin as planned and would send his running mate, Pence, in his stead. Trump said he would spend Saturday preparing for his second debate with Clinton, set for Sunday in St. Louis.

The disclosure of the audiotape comes at the end of a punishing two weeks, during which Trump has faced intense backlash over his treatment of women and intensifying scrutiny of his personal finances and views on national security.

More Republicans joined in the denunciation, including Gov. Gary Herbert of Utah, who had said this summer he would vote for Trump.

"Donald Trump's statements are beyond offensive & despicable," Herbert wrote on Twitter. "While I cannot vote for Hillary Clinton, I will not vote for Trump."

Another Republican to turn his back on Trump on Friday was Jon M. Huntsman, the former governor of Utah, who just a week ago said he planned to vote for Trump. He told the Salt Lake Tribune that the nominee should withdraw from the race and have Pence lead the ticket.

The recording of Trump talking to Bush was made as they sat on a bus on the set of a soap opera where Trump was making a cameo appearance. The conversation was recorded after he had married Melania Trump, his third and current wife. At one point, the conversation in the video was interrupted when an actress arrived to take Trump and Bush to the set. Trump seemed excited.

"You know I'm automatically attracted to beautiful - I just start kissing them," Trump says. "It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait."

The Chronicle's Mike Glenn and the Washington Post contributed to this report.